A football game between Harvard and Yale was delayed for 45 minutes after climate activists stormed the field and demanded the universities divest from fossil fuels.
The incident occurred during halftime when people ran into the middle of Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut, and sat in the middle of the field. Others held a large banner that read, “Nobody wins: Yale & Harvard are complicit in climate injustice.”
The Harvard-Yale football game is in a delay as students ran onto the field to protest climate change
(via @ESPNCFB) pic.twitter.com/Cc12C1Lvjf
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) November 23, 2019
Divest Harvard, a campus group advocating for fossil fuel divestment, said in a tweet that more than 150 people participated in the protest, which included students, faculty, and alumni.
Another group, Fossil Free Yale, tweeted, “Wealthy institutions like Yale & Harvard, with endowments totalling $71 billion have no right to profit off the destruction of the planet and land.”
The first coverage of #HarvardYale action happening right now from @guardian! Wealthy institutions like Yale & Harvard, with endowments totalling $71 billion have no right to profit off the destruction of the planet and land. https://t.co/adk3GxKbFb
— Fossil Free Yale (@FossilFreeYale) November 23, 2019
After about 45 minutes, security and police were able to clear the field of the demonstrators, allowing the famous rivalry game to continue.
Outspoken actress and activist Alyssa Milano voiced support for the protests over Twitter, writing, “I’m proud to support the students of @DivestHarvard and @FossilFreeYale who disrupted #HarvardYale today to call for fossil fuel divestment. When our richest universities are invested in the destruction of the planet #NobodyWins.”
I’m proud to support the students of @DivestHarvard and @FossilFreeYale who disrupted #HarvardYale today to call for fossil fuel divestment.
When our richest universities are invested in the destruction of the planet #NobodyWins.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) November 23, 2019
